The European Union’s Olympic dream is shattered – EURACTIV.com

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In this week’s edition: the European Union’s Olympic (flag) politics, the Cyprus Project and the North Stream 2 deal are challenged.

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When the lights of the Tokyo Olympic Stadium are on and the athletes complete their honour before the start of the game, the Slovenian athletes will not fly the EU flag alongside them.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) refused Suggestions made in a letter Earlier this week, European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas and Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša sent a letter to its Chairman Thomas Bach to allow the team to fly two flags.

A spokesperson for the International Olympic Committee said, “An Olympic team can only use one flag, one emblem and one national anthem approved by its National Olympic Committee and approved by the IOC Executive Committee.”

The spokesperson added: “For obvious reasons, no exceptions are allowed, because by then the IOC will face numerous requests from many organizations, such as the European Union, which have the core values ​​of the Olympic Games.”

In response, Schinas tweeted that although this will not happen this time, he “believes that the rules will catch up with our values ​​soon” and added: “The next step is Paris in 2024.”

possible, But it is unlikely.

Anyone who is disappointed by the missed opportunity of political rants need not worry, because one thing is clear: these games will be everything political -Tell the female athletes what to wear, Gender politics Either Take a stand.

Delayed for one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it will now be held in the stadium with basically no spectators. The Tokyo Olympics are scheduled to be held later this Friday and will last until August 8.

International Olympic Committee President Bach said that the Olympic flame is a symbol of common victory over the epidemic.

But these games will not be like any other games before, because the signs of COVID-19 in the event will be obvious. Although the gold medal is attributed to the virus, these games may lack some Olympic spirit.

Freedom of movement is restricted, there are no international sports fans, Japanese citizens are not encouraged to participate in public gatherings, and international media are prohibited from using public transportation and participating.

COVID-19 is spreading in Japan at the fastest rate in months, and the capital is preparing for experts to warn that it may be another set of restrictions.

Some critics even questioned whether the game should continue. However, the accusation of hosting the Olympics solely for economic benefit is still too simplistic.

Since the sprint into life in 1896, the modern Olympic Games have been cancelled 3 times, all because of the World War. Therefore, canceling the Tokyo Olympics will be a huge blow to many people.

Cyprus plan. Brussels and Washington react strongly to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Decided to partially reopen the coastal resort town The original Greek Cypriot residents and his two-state solution on the island of Cyprus were emptied.

At the same time, the National Committee of Cyprus called on the Greek Cypriots to refrain from appealing to the committee established by Turkey’s pseudo-state in northern Cyprus in order to Repossess their property, Said it would pose a serious threat to national security.

As the situation is still difficult and Brussels, diplomats want to know if there will be a special EU foreign ministers meeting next week. However, because some member states were not enthusiastic, and believed that a formal condemnation from the committee was sufficient, this idea was stifled.

Agreement issues. European Commission President Ursula von der Lein insists that the EU will Not reopening the disputed Northern Ireland agreementIt was a key part of the Brexit agreement, just a day after Boris Johnson published a paper explaining his renegotiation plan.

Transatlantic connection

Transaction seal. Conflict between Berlin and Washington over the construction of the disputed North Stream 2 pipeline, sending Russian gas to Germany Rested A joint statement was issued this week.

However, many German politicians have called for the transaction to be re-examined, and some call it “Harmful” to the whole of Europe.

At the same time, Ukraine Pledge to provide assistance for its energy security, The initial donation was 148.3 million euros. Although both Kiev and Warsaw condemned the transaction for “causing political, military and energy threats” in Eastern and Central Europe.

Pegasus hackers. Earlier this week, the United States accused Beijing of carrying out a large-scale hacking of Microsoft’s e-mail servers and accused four Chinese citizens of uniting the European Union and other allies. Rare joint statement Condemned “malicious” online activities from China.

Carbon tax. Democrats in the US Senate are considering imposing a “pollution import fee,” similar to the European Union’s recently announced Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to help fund President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion recovery plan .

This U.S. import fees will mimic the CBAM recently proposed by the European Union, Which aims to impose a carbon price on imported goods to balance the costs of European industries and prevent them from leaving Europe to go to countries with lower pollution costs.

Defensive angle

do not forget. Greek Foreign Minister Nicos Dendias said this week that he “hopes that NATO will not forget that, apart from the alliance of nations, it is an alliance based on specific values. This forces NATO to state clearly when one of its members makes a mistake. It has not been done so far.”

Dandias refers to NATO’s neutral position Regarding Turkey and the recent Eastern Mediterranean crisis, the alliance did not stand on either side. He called on Athens and Ankara to ease tensions and ease the situation in the region.

Czech guns. The Czech Senate this week approved the possession of weapons under the legal conditions stipulated in the Constitution to protect the rights of oneself and others. This is in response to the EU’s trend in regulating the acquisition and possession of guns, EURACTIV.cz Ondřej Plevák write a report.

Zoom in latest

Sofia-Skopje. After Macedonia’s European roads were blocked, citizens felt very disappointed and traumatized, but the country will not look for alternatives, Prime Minister Zoran Zayev told database Conflict zone In an interview.At the same time, Bulgaria’s center-right parties said Support the integration of the European Union in North Macedonia.

Related trio. So far, the “three-person” initiative has been questioned in Brussels because it changed the pattern of relations with the six former Soviet republics of Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan.

For its promoter Tbilisi, Charles Michel, President of the European Council, attended The three-nation meeting held in Batumi this week is considered YesEliston. Learn more about our special report Take a closer look at the summit information.

Although the vast majority of EU countries welcome deeper integration with Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, their “joint trio” initiative Get more support in Eastern and Central Europe, And the Committee and Western member states are still hesitant to adopt the term.

Caucasus soft power? In the Georgian Black Sea resort of Batumi, taxi drivers usually talk about football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and the like, and now they talk about Charles Michel, President of the European Council. However, a person may not be too happy Whenever Michel was tired of his daily activities in Brussels, he would wear his superman costume and go to the Caucasus.

Court case. Russia said Thursday that it has File a complaint against Ukraine Together with the European Court of Human Rights, Kyiv was blamed for the 2014 Malaysian passenger plane crash and the deaths of Russian and Ukrainian civilians.